Visitor Experience Assistant (Fixed Term)

Job Description

We are looking for a Visitor Experience Assistant to ensure that every one of our visitors to Newport Wetlands has a high-quality visitor experience. Working with a team, you will make sure our visitors are warmly welcomed, enthused about the resident wildlife, and ultimately encouraged to support the work of the RSPB through membership.

Newport Wetlands is a special area for wildlife, lying between the Severn estuary and the river Usk. It is one of the most important areas of wetland habitat in Wales, providing a haven for wildlife on the edge of the city. Specialist wetland birds such as bearded tits, little egrets, and the elusive bittern can be found here year-round. In the summer the reserve is a stronghold for the rare shrill carder bee and in the autumn waders and waterfowl appear in large flocks, along with the spectacle of fabulous starlings murmuration’s.

What is the role about?

We are looking for someone to ensure that every one of our visitors has a high-quality visitor experience, where they are warmly welcomed, enthused about the resident wildlife and ultimately encouraged to support the work of the RSPB through membership. We will be delivering a full event programme and you will assist in delivering activities and events in a fun an innovative way.

This is an ideal opportunity for someone who is keen to develop and grow in visitor engagement and events management.

You will be:

• Working with colleagues to ensure the effective, efficient and safe running of the centre, guaranteeing a high quality, on-brand, visitor experience.
• Working with the visitor centre and site management team to achieve financial targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to deliver against our business goals.
• Expected to ensure every visitor has a positive and memorable contact with staff, whether they are individuals, small groups, large groups, school groups, people with disabilities, families etc.
• Assist with the facilitation of family activities and events, contributing ideas and suggestions to enhance the visitor experience.
• Ensure the visitor centre, together with its environs, visitor facilities and equipment are maintained and presented to a high standard.

Essential skills, knowledge & experience:

• Ability to enthuse people to support wildlife and nature with good people engagement and communication skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to plan and prioritise workloads.
• Good problem solving skills and be able to work on own initiative.
• Ability to manage and respond quickly to customer needs and feedback.
• Ability to work as part of a team, to motivate and inspire people.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships.
• Ability and willingness to work flexibly including weekends and occasional evenings.

Additional Information:

This is a fixed-term role for 6 months, full-time for 37.5 hours per week.

The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position on 22 May 2024. For further information please contact kirsty.lindsay@rspb.org.uk

As part of this application process you will be asked to complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

Before applying for this role, we recommend reading through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of this advert.